Four-dish Korean lunch in Chimsan-dong, Daegu: Cafe Dongyi Chimsan

What kind of place is Cafe Dongyi Chimsan Branch?

Cafe Dongyi Chimsan Branch is a Korean restaurant at 51 Hoam-ro, 1st floor of Building E of the Samsung Creative Campus dormitory, Buk-gu, Daegu. It's open weekdays 11:00–20:30 and weekends 11:00–21:00, with no reservations — walk-in only. Parking is inside Samsung Creative Campus, and registering after your meal gets you 2 hours free.

When a family goes out for lunch together, everyone wants something different, and picking a menu can get surprisingly tricky, right? Looking for good eats in Chimsan-dong, Daegu, I ended up at Cafe Dongyi Chimsan Branch, where you can choose anything from octopus to bulgogi, kimchi jjigae, or curry — all under one roof.

This time we ordered four dishes — the individual-grill grandma's octopus, grilled pork bulgogi, kimchi jjigae, and Japanese curry — and shared a little of each as a family. Below I'll walk through parking, the wait, menu prices, and how the fried-egg station works, with photos.

Where do you park at Cafe Dongyi Chimsan Branch?

Once inside Samsung Creative Campus, there was plenty of parking space. It didn't take long for us to find a spot either. After finishing our meal, registering at the counter gave us 2 hours of free parking.

How to find the restaurant on the Samsung Creative Campus

Walking toward Building E of Samsung Creative Campus, the Cafe Dongyi sign was easy to spot, so we found the place without any trouble.

Looking at the menu posted by the entrance, there were plenty of rice-based dishes like octopus, bulgogi, and jjigae — this felt like a proper sit-down rice restaurant rather than a light bite spot.

Since it was lunchtime, there were already people waiting near the entrance. Expecting a wait, we'd set up a remote queue on Tabling before arriving. Customers kept streaming in throughout the meal, so if you're looking for good food in Chimsan-dong, Daegu, it's worth planning for some wait time.

Inside Cafe Dongyi: seating and atmosphere

Inside, the space was neatly arranged around table seating. The wood-tone tables and large windows kept it from feeling cramped, and even with a busy lunch crowd, the atmosphere was comfortable enough to focus on the meal.

Solo diners and families alike had settled in around the room. Since most menu items can be ordered individually, it was easy for our family to each pick what we wanted and share small portions of everything.

Cafe Dongyi Chimsan Branch menu and prices

The menu covers familiar Korean dishes like bulgogi and kimchi jjigae, but also octopus and Japanese curry — more variety than I expected. What we ordered ranged from ₩9,900 to ₩16,900. The pork bulgogi and kimchi jjigae were under ₩10,000, while the individual-grill octopus was the priciest at ₩16,900. With menu types and price ranges spread out, it was easy for each of us to order what we felt like eating.

• [Individual grill] Grandma's stir-fried octopus — ₩16,900
• Dongyi grilled pork bulgogi — ₩9,900
• 40-year master's kimchi jjigae set — ₩9,900
• Crispy whole shrimp Japanese curry set — ₩11,900

Sharing all four dishes at one table

Grandma's stir-fried octopus on an individual grill — 16,900 won

Of the four dishes, the grandma's octopus caught our eye first. Unlike the others, it came on its own personal grill, so it drew attention the moment it landed on the table.

Cooking it right there on the grill kept it warm through most of the meal. The octopus paired well with rice, and even though it was pricier than the other dishes, having your own grill to keep it hot the whole time made a real difference.

Dongyi flame-grilled pork bulgogi — 9,900 won

We ordered the Dongyi grilled pork bulgogi for ₩9,900. Being flame-grilled, it had a faint smoky aroma from the first bite. The sauce went well with rice, making it easy to eat like a main side dish.

Switching between the spicy octopus and the bulgogi kept the flavors shifting, so ordering the two together was a good combination.

40-year master's kimchi jjigae set — 9,900 won

Since we'd already ordered stir-fried dishes like the octopus and bulgogi, we figured we'd want something soupy to go with them, so we picked the kimchi jjigae. It came in a stone pot, so it stayed warm through the meal.

The kimchi's tang wasn't overpowering, and the broth had a rich style that went well with rice. Taking a spoonful in between bites of octopus and bulgogi worked as a nice palate reset, and it rounded out the whole combination well.

Crispy whole-shrimp Japanese curry set — 11,900 won

The crispy whole shrimp Japanese curry looked completely different from the other three dishes, topped with whole fried shrimp. The batter was crispy, and the curry's aroma wasn't too strong, making it easy to eat.

After the octopus, bulgogi, and kimchi jjigae, a bite of curry was a clear change of pace — it was fun switching between the dishes. Ordering a different item each and sharing worked out better than expected.

How does the fry-your-own-egg bar work?

One fun part of eating at Cafe Dongyi Chimsan Branch was being able to fry your own egg. There was a station on one side with eggs and a cooking area, so you could cook one yourself in a pan whenever you wanted.

We each fried an egg midway through the meal. You could cook it soft or fully set depending on your taste, and leaving the yolk a little runny to spoon over the rice gave the dishes a slightly different twist.

Lunch wait times and tips for visiting

The customers waiting on-site when we arrived seemed to be seated in order after about a 20-minute wait. If you're heading to Chimsan-dong, Daegu at lunchtime, I'd recommend setting up a remote queue on Tabling ahead of time rather than lining up once you arrive.

Anticipating a lunch wait, we set up a remote queue with Tabling before leaving home. By the time we got to the restaurant, our turn was coming up, so we walked right in without waiting long outside.

Parking was available inside Samsung Creative Campus, and registering after our meal got us 2 hours free.

Is Cafe Dongyi Chimsan Branch worth a family lunch?

Everyone in the family wanted something different, but being able to each order one dish and share small portions actually made it easier to try more of the menu. Frying our own eggs was a small but fun touch, and being able to park inside Samsung Creative Campus and register for 2 hours free made driving there convenient too.

Just keep in mind that lunchtime can mean a wait, so if you're looking for good food or a family meal spot in Chimsan-dong, Daegu, using the Tabling remote queue is a good way to visit Cafe Dongyi Chimsan Branch.